Expert: J. B. Borge - 6/1/2005

Question
Hi,
I was interested in starting designs on 3d CAD. I was wondering if you knew any easy free software to do this. I have..well...lets just say minimal knowledge in CAD and If you knew maybe a CAD for dummies that would be great.
Thanks

Answer
Chris, first of all what type of 3D are you trying to produce? plastic/metal surfaces, something mechanical, or organic? working w/ 3D often requires knowledge in space coordinates, primary shapes, usual solids/surface tools, 3D features, & parametrics. The caveat for a cheap or free software is that it's proprietary - you have to comply with their standards which means the learning curve is going to be very high & zero software support. Personally, the only software that stands out in the crowd w/ a resonable price is Rhinoceros by Mcneel & assoc (http://www.rhino3d.com). I've used the software ever since the 2nd release. This software is not free, but it's the best industrial 3D modeler out there. Rhonoceros has a robust engine that supports both solids & free form surfaces (nurbs). The GUI is much like Autocad w/ a command line. Check out their evaluation software & do the tutorials. Trust me, you'll be designing custom car ground effects, bumpers & dashboards in no time. Let me know what you think!

-good luck
JB